THE number of drivers caught drink-driving in the Thames Valley around Christmas fell by more than seven per cent.

A total of 278 drivers were arrested by police for driving with excess alcohol during December, compared with 299 in the same period in 2011.

Of those, 218 were men (74 per cent), compared with 244 in the previous year, a difference of 11 per cent.

In Oxfordshire, there were 74 arrests, three fewer than in December 2011 and in Berkshire there were 113 (120).

Acting superintendent Henry Parsons, head of road policing for Thames Valley and Hampshire, said: “It’s really encouraging that we have seen a decrease in the number of people arrested for drink-driving this year.

“However it is still disappointing to see that there are still people who are prepared to take that risk. Many of those who were caught had not allowed themselves enough time to recover after a heavy night.”

He said that during the month of the police campaign, there was a three per cent reduction in road accidents.